One warm day, a thirsty fox was looking for something to drink. Finally, it came across a well at a farm. It stuck its nose over the edge, but the water was far too deep. The fox carefully balanced from side to side, trying to reach the cool, clear water. But even though its nose got close enough to smell the water, it couldn’t reach it.
The fox made one last attempt, stretched out its tongue, and SPLASH! The fox fell into the well.
The sides of the well were very slippery, and every time the fox tried to climb up, it slid back down. It was trapped!
After some time, a goat came by the well, looking for water to drink. It was surprised to see the fox down in the water.
“What on earth are you doing down there?” asked the goat.
“I’m just cooling off,” replied the fox. “The water in this well is the best for miles around. Why don’t you jump in yourself?”
The goat was very hot and very thirsty, and the water did look refreshing. The goat jumped in.
“You’re right!” said the goat, taking a big gulp of water. “It’s wonderfully cool down here.”
Shortly after, the goat decided it wanted to get out.
“How do we get out?” asked the goat.
“That’s a bit tricky,” admitted the fox. “But I have an idea. If you spread your legs and wedge yourself into the sides of the well, I can climb onto your back and jump out.”
“That sounds fine, but what about me?” bleated the goat.
“Once I’m out, I’ll help you,” explained the fox.
So the goat wedged itself into the well, and the fox climbed onto its back and jumped out of the well.
“Thank you very much,” laughed the fox as it turned to run away.
“Hey, you! What about me? How do I get out?” shouted the goat.
“You should have thought of that before you jumped in,” replied the sly fox, running off into the distance.
And the moral of the story is: Always look before you leap.
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